Sakanayagi Narumori sat upright, his expression unreadable as he fixed his gaze on Toru.
What he truly thought, only he himself knew.
Arisu stood quietly behind her father, leaning slightly on her cane. Her grip unconsciously tightened, pale blue veins faintly visible on the back of her fair hand.
During this period, she had witnessed her father's exhaustion and struggles.
But even though she considered herself a genius, in the adult world, she was powerless. She couldn't help her father weather this storm at all.
Inoue Akihiko remained smiling and pleasant, saying nothing, simply following Toru's lead.
"Chairman Sakayanagi, I'll skip the pleasantries. Let me be direct. The land Advanced Nurturing High School sits on, excluding the buildings already constructed, is currently worth around 12 billion US dollars on the market."
"Am I wrong?"
As soon as Toru finished speaking, even Inoue Akihiko's expression changed slightly.
12 billion US dollars.
Just hearing that figure was enough to stir a bit of greed, even in someone like him.
Of course, Inoue Akihiko knew very well that he was just a dog, an ordinary government official. No matter how much this land was worth, it had nothing to do with him.
Narumori replied in a low voice, "Fujiwara-kun is correct. That land is indeed worth that much."
Toru nodded, then asked, "Then let me ask, Chairman Sakayanagi. What do you want to gain?"
Narumori took a deep breath. "For Sakanayagi, more than ten billion dollars isn't the key point. What truly matters is the school itself and the relationships we've built with major universities."
"If it were just about money, we would've sold it long ago, back when the land value peaked."
Toru nodded inwardly.
Sakanayagi wasn't stupid. If they'd sold the land back then, the family would've instantly pocketed tens of billions, but they would've also lost their biggest asset—educational capital.
It would be no different from draining the pond to catch the fish.
Sakanayagi wasn't a merchant house. They didn't know how to invest. Even if they got a huge sum of money, they'd likely just establish a foundation or trust to maintain future generations' lives.
But that would essentially be the end of the Sakanayagi family as an elite house. They'd go from nobility to commoners.
As long as they held onto that land, unless Tokyo was leveled by nuclear war, its value would remain solid.
Sakanayagi could use it to maintain influence in education, and that would allow them to keep developing the family's legacy.
That was precisely the painful part.
No matter how greedy the corporations were, there was no way they could expect to get land worth 12 billion dollars for just a few hundred million. Sakanayagi wasn't that weak.
But they didn't want money. They didn't want to sell.
And the other side was trying to force them into it.
Narumori clenched his jaw. "Over a decade ago, that group came to me, asking to conduct a social experiment at Advanced Nurturing High School."
"I thought the idea was novel, so I agreed."
"At the same time, they proposed building an artificial island offshore, to expand the school's land."
"It had always been my dream to establish a full educational complex, from elementary to university. A true Sakanayagi Advanced Nurturing system."
"Those people promised they'd help me fulfill that."
"The artificial island construction was projected at four billion dollars. After completion, part would become a commercial zone, and the rest would serve as university campus space. Their affiliated brands would open stores there too."
"Sakanayagi contributed one-fifth. They covered the rest. Since we didn't have that much liquidity, we mortgaged the land and borrowed close to 800 million dollars from the bank."
Narumori rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"But what I didn't expect was that while the artificial island was built as planned, and investment followed as promised, the pace was slow. Many obstacles emerged."
"Looking back now, those obstacles were all fabricated by their own people."
"The bank, which they control, deemed the project a failure and said the loan couldn't be recovered. They're demanding immediate repayment. If we can't pay, the land will be auctioned off!"
He breathed heavily, clearly overwhelmed by the full scope of their trap.
He glanced at Inoue Akihiko and lowered his voice. "During the construction, there were also some economic crimes committed by involved parties. Since I'm a shareholder, I'll be implicated."
"They'll probably try to drag me into a criminal case via the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. If that happens, I'll be stuck in lawsuits and completely unable to resist them."
Only now did Arisu fully grasp the reason behind her father's recent suffering. No wonder he couldn't sleep or eat properly.
Those vultures not only wanted their land—they wanted to throw her father into prison.
Sakanayagi wasn't a one-man family. What about those relatives with the same last name? Would they betray her father for money?
The very thought made Arisu's heart tremble.
No matter how talented she believed herself to be, if her father was dragged into court and couldn't lead the family, she'd be left alone to face not only internal turmoil, but external predators. A high school girl had no way to win that fight.
This wasn't a matter of intellect—it was a complete mismatch in resources, power, and experience.
"Once it enters judicial auction, the price is out of your hands," Toru said slowly. "If you're also under suspicion of economic crimes, things will get even worse."
Sakanayagi wouldn't walk away with nothing, but the payout would be far lower than market value. To those vultures, it'd still be a huge profit.
And in the end, Narumori might only be left with a small portion.
The family wasn't just him. There were plenty of others with the Sakanayagi name. Once they realized they had no real control over power, they'd just want a big slice of cash.
Living off hundreds of millions a day sounded much better than watching someone else take charge while they got nothing.
This was a long-term trap, meticulously laid over ten years, targeting the Sakanayagi family and their land.
You couldn't call them stupid. Anyone could fall into a trap laid so patiently.
And now, the net had closed.
First came the Parent Committee's interference, suspending school operations, changing educational philosophy, and suppressing the school's internal economy.
Then the banks moved in, presenting evidence of financial misconduct, pinning charges on scapegoats and dragging Sakanayagi into the mud.
Finally, the courts would get involved, auction off the land, and then the traitors inside the family—already bought off—would make their moves and tear the family apart.
Once the deed changed hands, the corporations would demolish the school, build bridges or tunnels to the artificial island, and convert everything into a luxury CBD.
The land around Advanced Nurturing High School had stunning views and prime positioning.
By then, housing prices there would be astronomical. Properties would go for millions of yen per square meter.
Narumori looked at Toru.
To be honest, he hadn't thought Toru could truly save the Sakanayagi family.
There were just too many predators circling them. Anyone who wanted to help had to ask themselves—do I have the strength to stand against all these monsters?
The stakes were simply too high.
Toru said frankly, "Chairman Sakayanagi, you've already fallen into the trap. Don't expect to get out without paying something."
"I know. As long as I can preserve part of our ancestral estate and not lose everything under my watch, I'll be content."
Narumori's voice was dry.
"Half."
Toru raised one finger. "You'll need to sell half the land. The price will be set at 70% of the market value."
His words made Arisu want to speak up.
Was Toru trying to join the group carving up her family's land?
Narumori stopped her. She was still too young. She didn't understand the meaning of compromise and sacrifice.
In the real world, you couldn't win every round.
And in Narumori's view, selling just half at 70% was far better than selling it all for cheap, and then getting torn apart afterward.
But—
"Why should I trust you, Fujiwara-kun? And what do you want?" Narumori asked calmly.
"You should already have a guess," Toru replied. "You know who really controls the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. Mr. Inoue is here on my behalf. That alone should tell you who I am."
Narumori's heart trembled.
He had already suspected. Now he was sure—this was the real deal.
Inoue Akihiko smiled. "Since Mr. Fujiwara has said so, Mr. Sakayanagi, there's no need to worry. We already know you're innocent."
"The Special Investigation Department doesn't target innocent people. As for the financial crimes being pinned on you, we'll handle them with great care."
Narumori clenched his fists tightly.
With that, the threat of economic crime had been lifted. Those people could no longer weaponize the prosecutors' office against him. He wouldn't be facing lawsuits or jail time.
Narumori finally began to believe that Toru could really help him.
But this alone wasn't enough to save the family.
Toru looked at Arisu and smiled. "Sakayanagi-san, do you remember what I told you about using a tiger to swallow a wolf?"
"But that tiger isn't me. I'm just the trainer outside the cage. The tiger is called the Shinomiya family."
"They weren't part of the original plan to devour Sakanayagi. And they weren't happy about that."
"So, I'm giving the Shinomiya family a chance to get involved, and get the profit they want."
Toru didn't say the rest aloud.
The Shinomiya family would also be the scapegoat.
And knowing Oko's arrogance, he would definitely accept the bait for the short-term benefit.
(To be continued.)